Fully wireless earbuds are almost certainly the future of in-ear audio. Apple's Airpods, for all the controversy around them, have kicked an entire industry into high gear trying to capitalize on their various shortcomings. One such competitor is Jaybird, now owned by Logitech, whose products we've given high marks in the past, particularly their X series of Bluetooth headphones. Jaybird headphones, though, have been of the wired-wireless variety, using a cable to keep the two earbuds attached to one another. The X2 and X3 were some of our favorite Bluetooth earbuds ever for their comfort, audio quality, and durability - Jaybird did quite a job with them, wire and all.

The RUN are Jaybird's first attempt to do away with the cable completely, and as the name suggests, you're fully expected to be using these in highly active scenarios, something that requires a snug, secure fit. Apple's Airpods have received criticism for their unsealed, just-kind-of-hanging-there design. Jaybird, though, has specifically designed the RUN to stay in your ears no matter what you're doing. And in my opinion, they do.

Of course, that's just one part of the larger product, and the RUN aren't perfect. Even with a truly superb fit, there are some notable drawbacks - Bluetooth performance has been iffy at times, battery life is (as you'd expect) not amazing, and audio is decent, if not exceptional. Read on for the full review.

Fit and design

The Jaybird RUN are one of the most comfortable pairs of earbuds I've ever worn, and easily the most comfortable wireless ones. Jaybird has used its signature "wing" design to help keep the RUN secured in your ears, and it works like a champ. It's easy to just pop in the RUN and go - simply push them in and give each bud a little twist to seat the wing into the nook of your ear, and they seal right up. I was honestly floored by just how well the RUN fit me. I know everyone's ears are different, but for me, Jaybird absolutely nailed this. The RUN feel extremely secure in my ears and a seal was easy to get without even trying.

If you don't like "wings" on your headphones, the RUN may not do anything to change your opinion. The fact is, they're necessary - without them, you'd constantly be in danger of losing a headphone, and that would be a major defect on a product ostensibly designed for highly active use (e.g., running). I'm not going to try and change anyone's opinion on the whole wing issue, but these are the best such headphones utilizing this design that I've ever worn.

The lack of a cable between the buds means that there's never anything tugging, pulling, or rubbing, either. The sensation of being totally unencumbered by that wire is real - it would be kind of hard for me to go back to having one.

For fit and comfort, I'd give the RUN the highest of marks. Jaybird really got this right.

Each of the two earbuds also has a physical button (see where the Jaybird logo is), which can be configured - slightly - in the Jaybird app. By default, the right earbud acts as a play/pause button, while the left activates Google Assistant. Alternatively, you can set the left earbud as volume down and the right as volume up.

Sound

Because the battery has to be housed in the casing of each earbud, there's not a lot of room for the driver in fully wireless headphones. The RUN are no different - these aren't the most powerful Bluetooth earbuds I've tested, nor are they the best-sounding. That said, even compared to the X3, I think the RUN actually compare pretty well from an overall audio quality standpoint, even if they don't get quite as loud.

The RUN have a pretty balanced sound signature, which you can adjust through EQ settings in the official Jaybird app, but I found the default setup was just fine for me. Bass isn't their strong point, and that makes sense - there's just not much space for audio to reverberate in these things. But mids and highs are pretty clean and crisp, if not exceptionally detailed. Overall, I just don't notice the sound signature of the RUN very much, which is probably something of a compliment for a wireless headphone. They're good: not noticeably poor in any regard, even if they're also not exceptional.

Bluetooth performance

I found the RUN to have connectivity issues with my Pixel XL at times, though using a Galaxy Note8 tended to resolve them. Particularly, audio would cut out from one earbud, especially when my phone was in my pocket. I'm not the only one who has had this issue (Ryan is also testing them), and it's definitely worth noting. That said, the problem almost never occurred when using my Note8, and it was only an issue on the Pixel in certain circumstances. So, I'm blaming the Pixel.

Making sure both buds are powered on is generally not a concern, as you'll almost always be storing them in the charging case (more on that in the next section). Pulling them out of the case powers both earbuds on. However, if you do turn them off and then come back to them later, you'll need to power on each earbud individually and hope that they pair up. Sometimes the RUN would fail to pair to one another when I had to power them back on manually, but turning them off and back on again generally resolved the issue.

And yes, you can use just one earbud should you so desire - but only the right one. The left is just a "slave" device and won't function on its own.

Battery life

Here's where things get predictably subpar: battery life on fully wireless earbuds just isn't fantastic. Jaybird rates the RUN at around 4 hours of playback time. My experience is more like 2.5 to 3. Of course, this is going to be heavily dependent on the volume level you're listening at, and I have no doubt Jaybird's figure is accurate for modest outputs. But if you crank them, expect the RUN to get run down pretty rapidly.

You can use the Jaybird app to monitor the battery level of the earbuds directly from your notification bar, which is nice, and it even shows the battery level for each side. The "master" right earbud, as you might guess, drains more quickly than the left one.

The case charges via microUSB, and the built-in battery can fully recharge the RUNs from empty twice.

Charging is achieved via the included battery case, which has enough capacity to fully recharge the RUN twice before itself needing to be charged. And yep, it uses a microUSB port - no USB-C for our audio accessories just yet, sadly. Charging is at least rapid; Jaybird says you'll get an hour of listening time after 10 minutes of charging if you're filling them up from empty, though I wasn't able to measure how long a 0 to 100 charge took.

The case itself is about the size of a prescription pill bottle, meaning it's too thick to really pocket, which is kind of a shame. But it will keep your RUN nice and protected while they juice up (and don't get lost). Seating the earbuds in the case is simple, and I don't think there's any way you could position them such that the contacts don't line up, which is nice.

With the girth of a prescription pill bottle, the charging case is just a little too big to pocket.

Conclusion

The Jaybird RUN are, if you ask me, an excellent first effort at a truly wireless earbud. Getting the fit right is so important, and Jaybird hit a homerun - at least for my ears - on their first at-bat. Sound quality is respectable, battery life is understandably meh, and overall connectivity performance was never enough of an issue for me to be truly annoyed.

As such, I do recommend the RUN - provided you think they're worth $180. That's a lot of money for Bluetooth earbuds, and I can understand why many people just wouldn't want to spend so much on wireless headphones. Especially ones that you could rather easily lose.

But, as such products go, the RUN seem well-thought-out and designed, and they come from a company that has consistently made excellent active-oriented personal audio gear. I'm awarding the RUN our "Most Wanted" pick, because really, this isn't an easy product to get right, especially on the first try. They're not perfect, but I'd have no reservations pointing a friend or family member to these before I would the Airpods - the more secure fit eliminates the greatest anxiety around fully wireless earbuds, and most people would think they sound great. And, in what is perhaps the greatest benefit of all, no one is going to confuse them for actual Airpods.

Comments

s_bomb

Nice review, and glad to see Jaybird still churning out quality products with the new ownership. Still sticking with my X2's for as long as possible... hopefully the RUN 2's will be USB-C, smaller carrying case, longer battery. Great first effort though.

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JLV90

Can you charge these one at a time in the case like you can airpods? It sucks that the right one dies faster than the left one they should both be capable of doing the same things.

I love that I can set my airpods to do two different things with iOS 11. I usually use Siri functions for left and play/pause on the right.

Taios

Nice review, although I do wonder about their durability.

The jay bird x series were infamous for breaking after a while - a huge reason for why I personally went for the Bose soundsport wireless(even if they were more expensive)

Thank you Android Police, I've been waiting on the reviews for these. After having the X2's I am really impressed by and love the Jaybird brand.

NooSH

damn, 2 - 3 hours of battery life is weaksauce ..

i hit the gym 6 days a weak and on top of that run/hike/skateboard/surf ,so i naturally am cranking the volume of my music pretty damn high .. smh, guess i'll wait a little longer then..

even my $15 ones have 8 hour battery life and THAT'S too little for me...but just enough to get me through a training sesh.

i'm sure these sounds great, but ill hold on to the ones i have for now.

great review nonetheless david.

Detonation

your training "sesh"s are 8 hours long?

NooSH

need those gains

Mix

Or watching a movie on a flight or something, damn.

Madjiz

Yeah people should tries the cheap Chinese brand first they may not as good as the branded name but its not far.

Detonation

Will probably upgrade to these once my X2's die, but otherwise I have no reason as the X2 cord cinched behind my head is as close to wireless as I've needed. Usually forget it's there.

s_bomb

Yea, maybe I will be converted once I use truly wireless earbuds for the first time, but like you say, I hardly notice the cord on my X2's.

TheSpaceUnicorn

I always think it's crazy how Apple is almost never the first to do something, but as soon as they do it they becomes the basis for comparison and model for future products. I really don't know how 1 company manages to consistently do that in tons of different product categories.

perfectalpha

In many cases (not all), they do a better job than everyone else. AirPods are legit 100%.

exzacklyright

That's a lot of dough for a product that lasts 3 hrs...

Juice

I'll really interested in a pair of truly wireless earbuds. But I would like everyone's opinion: These Jaybird Runs or the new Samsung Gear IconX (ver. 2)???

I'm curious to try out the new IconX. The first version had terrible battery life.

rustygh

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Andrew Chavez

Cobble Pro trust me You won't regret it and well worth the price. Being as they are half the price of anyone else is and last twice as long with better sound quality. I love these things and I am very picky with my music

Kudos for being the first reviewer to recognize the overwhelming desire for USB-C (outside of MKBHD)

Benjamin Haube

I love my X3 mainly because the battery lasts so long. It's a shame these don't have good battery life because I'd get them in a heartbeat

NewttheLiar

This is more of an advert than a review. Did Jaybird compensate you?

Andrew Chavez

Didnt even read the whole article... i heard enough by the first few paragraphs... I suggest the CobblePro TWS. They are not only half the price but they sound way better than a lot of wired headsets. Bass is awesome and the sound dampening is great for losing any outside noise. Very comfortable and tight fitting, they arent going anywhere. And I have small ears. Long lasting battery, 24 hrs. And you can charge your phone with earbud charging case.
I can go on forever... just check these out yourself before spending all kinds of money on anything [email protected] you wont regret it.

James LaBarre

Nothing like tiny-tiny earbuds where you will lose one of the pair within three days. At least with a wire between them they stay together, and it makes them effectively larger (and therefore harder to lose them as a pair as well).